Myanmar takes more measures to boost tourist arrivals

YANGON (Xinhua) - Myanmar's immigration authorities have allowed online electronic (e)-visa to tourists from 24 more foreign countries aimed at attacting more tourists to the Southeast Asian nation.

The decision to add the two dozens foreign countries to the list of permitting e-visa came one month after such e-visa system was formally introduced to tourists from 43 countries including ASEAN's on Sept. 1.

The system ensures all tourists worldwide destined to Myanmar to get e-visa within five days.

Myanmar has reached visa exemption agreements with Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines and Vietnam, and negotiations are underway with Malaysia and Singapore for the same.

Since the taking office by the civilian government in 2011, tourist arrivals in Myanmar remarkably reached 1.06 million in 2012 and 2.04 million in 2013.

Of the 2.04 million tourists visiting Myanmar in 2013, 1.144 million came through border gates, while 817,699 through the Yangon International Airport and 69,596 through Mandalay International Airport in the second largest city, official figures show.

In the first seven months of this year, that number reached 1.6 million, targeting 3 million by the year-end, according to the hotels and tourist authorities.

Of the foreign visitors, those from Asia accounted for 70 percent with others from Europe, America, Africa and the Middle East also growing, figures showed.  

Myanmar saw the opening of over 1,000 hotels, motels and guest houses so far in 2014, making available for about 41,000 rooms at present across the country.

The 2014 figures were up from 731 in 2011 with over 25,000 rooms when the civilian government took office.

Most of the hotels are located in Yangon, the commercial hub of Myanmar, where tourist arrivals continue to increase.

There is a total of 39 foreign-invested hotels and commercial complexes across the country including Yangon and Mandalay Region.

Myanmar's tourist development is also highlighted by the visit of foreign tourists to its world-known Shwedagon Pagoda and the number of visitors to the pagoda reached 245,586 in the first half of 2014, up 30,000 from the same period of last year.

Meanwhile, Myanmar is seeking cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)  in conducting a pre- feasibility study for a project for establishment of the pilot model for tourist development in Bagan, an ancient city in Mandalay region.

The technical cooperation project includes that for improvement of tourist infrastructure, human resources development and heritage and environmental conservation.

Myanmar enacted Hotels and Tourism Law in 1993, allowing the private sector to operate in tourist industry.

Foreign investment in the hotels and tourism sector hit 1.854 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for 3.97 percent of the total and standing 5th sectorally in Myanmar's foreign investment line-up as of June 2014 since late 1988 when the country first opened door to the world.  

The World Travel and Tourism Council said Myanmar's hotels and tourist sector currently contributes 3.7 percent to the country's gross domestic product (GDP) , estimating that the percentage could reach 9.5 percent by the end of 2014.